The Philosophy of the Coen Brothers

The Philosophy of Popular Culture

by Mark T. Conard

In 2008 No Country for Old Men won the Academy Award for Best Picture, adding to the reputation of filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen, who were already known for pushing the boundaries of genre. They had already made films that redefined the gangster movie, the screwball comedy, the fable, and the film noir, among others. No Country is just one of many Coen brothers films to center on the struggles of complex characters to understand themselves and their places in the strange worlds they inhabit. To borrow a phrase from Barton Fink, all Coen films explore "the life of the mind" and show that the human condition can often be simultaneously comic and tragic, profound and absurd. In The Philosophy of the Coen Brothers, editor Mark T. Conard and other noted scholars explore the challenging moral and philosophical terrain of the Coen repertoire. Several authors connect the Coens' most widely known plots and characters to the shadowy, violent, and morally ambiguous world of classic film noir and its modern counterpart, neo-noir. As these essays reveal, Coen films often share noir's essential philosophical assumptions: power corrupts, evil is real, and human control of fate is an illusion. In Fargo, not even Minnesota's blankets of snow can hide Jerry Lundegaard's crimes or brighten his long, dark night of the soul. Coen films that stylistically depart from film noir still bear the influence of the genre's prevailing philosophical systems. The tale of love, marriage, betrayal, and divorce in Intolerable Cruelty transcends the plight of the characters to illuminate competing theories of justice. Even in lighter fare, such as Raising Arizona and The Big Lebowski, the comedy emerges from characters' journeys to the brink of an amoral abyss. However, the Coens often knowingly and gleefully subvert conventions and occasionally offer symbolic rebirths and other hopeful outcomes. At the end of The Big Lebowski, the Dude abides, his laziness has become a virtue, and the human comedy is perpetuating itself with the promised arrival of a newborn Lebowski. The Philosophy of the Coen Brothers sheds new light on these cinematic visionaries and their films' stirring philosophical insights. From Blood Simple to No Country for Old Men, the Coens' films feature characters who hunger for meaning in shared human experience—they are looking for answers. A select few of their protagonists find affirmation and redemption, but for many others, the quest for answers leads, at best, only to more questions.

Genres: Film, Philosophy, Nonfiction, Essays, Pop Culture

304 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2008

About the author

Mark T. Conard lives in New York City. He earned his Ph.D. in Philosophy from Temple University in Philadelphia. He’s the author of numerous essays, and is the co-editor of The Simpsons and Philosophy, and Woody Allen and Philosophy, both published by Open Court Press; and is editor of The Philosophy of Film Noir, The Philosophy of Neo-Noir, The Philosophy of Martin Scorsese, The Philosophy of The Coen Brothers, and The Philosophy of Spike Lee (all published by The University Press of Kentucky). He’s the editor of Nietzsche and the Philosophers (Routledge, 2017). In addition, he's the author of Dark as Night (2021) and A Killer's Coda (2021), both published by Down & Out Books.

Reviews

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I admit, I haven't seen all of the Coen Brothers films, so I feel justified in only reading the essays that pertain to the 3 films I have seen. I'm such a nerd because I always get a kick out of reading critical analysis of films, literature, art, etc. I do feel like I have a better handle on why things happened as they did in Fargo, how irony and comedy work together in O Brother Where Art Thou?, and what the hell happened in No Country For Old Men.

I look forward to finding more in this popular film philosophy series. The essays are always kind of fun to skip through.

[Dale · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had high expectations for this book but was sadly disappointed. The book consists of a set of brief essays on various aspects of the Coen brothers' work, with most of the essays apparently attempting to elucidate philosophical themes found in the movies. This ought to be interesting, maybe even enlightening. But far too many of the essays seemed to be exercises in 'how can I fit movie "X" into philosophical cubbyhole "Y"'.

I think there's a good book to be written on this subject - this just isn't it.

[kate]

I followed up Kubrick with the Coen brothers. Reading this book, I was surprised to discover my tone as a writer was something I had never really understood, postmodernist. I'm still not entirely clear about the parameters of the postmodern, but this book explores the Coen oeuvre through philosophy and, having seen most of these films, I found it enlightening.

No philosopher is revisited from the Kubrick book, an entirely new world is opened of different questions resulting from the works of the Coens, which I found really interesting. I have to re-examine the pretentiousness of recognition, and its potential.

I consider my irony hard won and well deserved.

[Victor Popa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Une lecture réjouissante.

[Thommy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A somewhat interesting, somewhat pretentious collection of essays mostly about the Coen brothers and their films, but the emphasis is clearly on the philosophy. Overly academic at times, it’s one of those books in which the various authors endlessly quote other authors to no real benefit other than to seemingly show how smart they are. Still, some interesting ideas, and unique takes on an eclectic filmography.

[Joshua Finnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Library Journal Review:

Before collaborating on the writing and directing of over 13 films, Joel Coen studied film at New York University, while Ethan Coen studied philosophy at Princeton University. In this text, 14 scholars in both philosophy and film and media studies investigate the philosophical themes and underpinnings of their films. They explore such topics as the competing theories of justice that exist in Intolerable Cruelty, laziness as a virtue in The Big Lebowski, Ed Crane's various types of Kierkegaardian despair in The Man Who Wasn't There; Blood Simple's oscillation between classic noir and postmodern conventions, and the ethical landscape in No Country for Old Men. Edited by series editor Conard (philosophy, Marymount Manhattan Coll.), this volume is written for both fans of the Coen brothers and the philosophically curious, without the technical language. Footnotes are included at the end of each essay for deeper exploration. Both educational and entertaining, this philosophical compilation is recommended for public and academic libraries, particularly those with degree programs in philosophy and film.—Joshua Finnell, McNeese State Univ. Lib., Lake Charles, LA

[Kajsa Philippa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of essays covers almost all Coen Brothers Films and raises many interesting questions and issues related to the Coens work. Probably because of the sheer quantity of the essays, there are some repitions in content. But they are all easily accessible also for "non-experts" of the matter.

[Steve Gregory Hood]

Good study in philosophy.

Good study of philosophy in film ,particularly Schopenhauer and Kierkegaard. New insight into Coen brothers film and the place of new noir and existentialism.

[Jessica Cawley]

Love the Coen brothers work, but some of my favourites are their newer stuff, so this missed a lot since it’s dated now. But the essays here were very insightful to film buffs and philosophy lovers. It was very academic at times, and was great to put me to sleep sometimes.

[Richmond · Rating 5 out of 5]

decent selection of essays on the CB's films.

[Jeff Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

The articles made me appreciate the movies better and also made me look at the movies again with greater appreciation of the brothers'talent.

[Franklin · Rating 4 out of 5]

9/10